VENEZUELA’S socialist government and right-wing opposition agreed to de-escalate tensions early yesterday at the end of marathon talks.

After a six-hour meeting that wrapped up at 2am, the United Socialist Party (PSUV) government and the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition said they would set up committees to address the economy, electoral schedule, human rights and the rule of law.

Those talks will be mediated by a Vatican envoy and former leaders of Spain, Panama and the Dominican Republic, all of whom were at the meeting along with President Nicolas Maduro at the Alejandro Otero museum in Caracas.

But hard-line Mud leader Henrique Capriles, who has made two unsuccessful bids for the presidency, tweeted: “I don’t believe Maduro even when he says good morning. They are devils capable of anything. But I do trust Pope Francis and believe in the church.”

US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon also met the president on Monday at the start of a three-day visit to show support for the peace process.

Mr Maduro revealed little about their meeting except that it had been “very positive” and focused on how to maintain a permanent dialogue based on mutual respect.

Mr Shannon had run-ins with Mr Maduro’s late predecessor Hugo Chavez during his time as assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs under George W Bush and later as ambassador to Brazil from 2010 to 2013.

The Communist Party of Venezuela said it had been excluded from the negotiations and felt unrepresented by the government delegation.

Political committee member and MP Yul Jabour said the dialogue must “dismantle the right’s neofascist and reactionary violence that serves the greater interests of foreign powers and defend the victories achieved by our people.

“The right intends to undo these victories. This plan seeks to create chaos and violence, because North American imperialism is involved in Venezuela, ignoring the law.”

Mr Jabour also demanded that authorities investigate the firebombing of the Communist Party office in the city of Maturin during Mud’s regime-change protests last week.

In a concession to Mud, the government released four opposition members on Monday night who had been arrested for violence and destabilisation.

They were named as Carlos Melo, Marco Trejo, Andres Moreno and Angel Coromoto, bodyguard to National Assembly speaker Henry Ramos.

Far-right Popular Will party activist Yon Goicoechea, arrested days before a September 1 Mud march in possession of explosives, was also expected to be released yesterday.